We appointed Dr. Brian Schmidt, a dentist-physician who will complete his PhD studies in oral biology in combination with specialty training in oral and maxillofacial surgery, to this grant in July of 1997. Dr. Schmidt received his BS in biochemistry at UC-Davis in 1988, and then proceeded on to dental school, receiving his DDS from UCSF in 1992. During his tenure in the DDS program, he also was admitted concurrently to the PhD program in oral biology. Upon graduation from dental school, he went on leave from the PhD program in order to enter medical school and the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) training program. He received the MD last year, and has been devoting his efforts in the DSA program to completing his PhD in oral biology and his OMFS training. This first year in the DSA program has focused mainly on his clinical residency with some time set aside to explore research areas in the oral biology program and to take advanced graduate courses in the structure of macromolecu les, biological regulatory mechanisms, and cell and developmental biology.